Adrian Durham is back ranting about Arsenal again and this time he is angry at Arsene Wenger for the Mesut Ozil problem at the Emirates.
The German was handed a new bumper deal by the Frenchman in 2018 and since then he has been underperforming for the club.
He frustrated Unai Emery with his lack of effort and the Spaniard was fired. He has also frustrated Mikel Arteta, who after trying his best to get some performance from the former Real Madrid man has now frozen him out of his first-team plans.
The German is a problem that the club is struggling to solve as they cannot find a buyer for him since he will not leave or take a pay cut to join another team.
However, Durham claims that Arsene Wenger is to blame for giving the club this problem.
He even went as far as claiming that the club should stop building the statue of the Frenchman that they are reported to be building at the Emirates.
He said on TalkSPORT: “The other thing we’ve got to talk about is Arsene Wenger’s role in this.
“I do hear they’re working on an Arsene Wenger statue at the Emirates. You know what they should do?
“Stop work right now, because this situation has been created by Arsene Wenger, who gave Mesut Ozil the massive contract.
“That has messed Unai Emery up, it’s affecting Mikel Arteta, it’s affecting Arsenal Football Club and it has effectively lost a lot of people, involved at the football club in a very positive way, their jobs.
“So this is down to Arsene Wenger, for me it’s ruining the legacy. He did a load of good stuff. But statue?
“No, just don’t bother with it, because this is a massive problem for the football club. It’s holding them back.”
Senseless comment from a frustrated pundit.
I agree with you Ayegbusi
Wow what a jaded comment by a pundit who never played or did anything Arsenal. Where to start:
1. Emery got himself fired; ridiculous lineups with 7 defensive players, no clear philosophy or style of play, and didn’t Uni himself say he sought to create friction with players?
2. Wenger deserves a statue for all he did at Arsenal, not to mention how he changed English Football. This muppet has so much angst and envy that it has clearly befuddled his myopic “brain.”
3. This pundit is clickbait, as in I click off any platform he spews his envious venom on in hopes he can garner any attention.
I prefer to listen to Wenger’s former players and the managers who opposed him on the pitch. Compare what Sir Alex has said about Wenger to this muppet.
Whether it’s wenger or someone else who handed this lazy German a ludicrous contract the fact of the matter is that wenger had more under achieved years than good ones bad decisions on players who flopped the lack of tactical nouse in big games against fergies teams and mohrinios teams. No statue for wenger
Brainless ranting. This pundit shows ignorance of the context in which Ozil was offered that contract. At the time, Arsenal had just lost Alexis Sanchez and fans were up in arms threatening what they would do if any more top players were to leave because of money or anything the club could control. Yes, Ozil’s contract has been a very significant problem for Arsenal, but to blame his contract on Wenger is like blaming a trigger man for a hit, while ignoring the person to hire him.
Adrian is a grouch. AW deserves a statue, obviously. I’d rather they hold off on it until we get back to a respectable position as a club tho so we can celebrate properly with less animosity. AW has done a ton of good for Arsenal though, despite my issues with his latter years. Ozil’s contract is enough to stop him from gettting the statue? The nightmare will be over in less than a year.
Wenger deserves the statue but he always overrated Ozil by comparing him with Dennis the menace.
Hmm… what stats do you have to back that up?
Please a statue of Durham. Whoops sorry there already is one at Disneyland. Looks like Mickey talks like Donald. I feel sorry for him, in 100 years he will still be talking about Mr Wenger as he will still be remembered and Durham will be a place Cummings ran off to nothing else.
Today’s football…the team cover for each other up and down the pitch…he try,s…it just isn’t or doesn’t come natural too him because he hasn’t been made to his whole career part because he can thread that ball in anywhere when he,s on, and part because of being a star he has gotten a pass . In every sport you have players who are good and great at things and so you surround them with people that compliment them and do the other things to enhance what they do today’s football has changed so much. That said, forget what the writers and Mezut say , just as an Arsenal Football fan with your own eye test…is he connected on a string does he track back consistently..does he give a full effort…does the nonchalant look and attitude and the air of self entitlement he walks around with exist behind the scenes? he makes 350’000 pounds a week!!! , I am sorry but we have been robbed on that….make him go away please enough already…
Yes James Edite, now we know what your views on the article about AW are, please tell us what are your views on Mesut Ozil are?!?!
Lol…👍🏾
We all know that Wengers decision making in his last ten years was suspect but lets not go over old spilt milk and remember the first 10 or so. Ive always said for what he did for this club for 11 years he deserves his statue, big style. I hope we have a manager in Arteta to right some of the ingrained stains he left with this club, when he was clearly past his sell by date. Lets look forwards not backwards, it hurts.
AW undid a lot of the good work he did in his early years. He had far too much control and lost the edge he had when he came to Arsenal. He became entrenched in a purist way not developing a defence after he had been given the principle players that helped him win trophies when he first came. His old players will sing his praises but you don’t hear from those 10 years ago. He mishandled Ozil and Sanchez the latter virtually given away when he could have gone for £60m. So I understand the post. Alan Smith said in person the variable results in the latter years were down to AW. So sad he should have left when Dein did.
Wenger could have left arsenal after the good days and we will cry for him coming back. But we hate him for sticking with Arsenal in bad financial times. I think the fans are fickle. Spurs were praised for being third when Leicester won. But Arsenal condemned for coming second. Irony
This is so true
A year or more ago I saw an article suggesting Wenger was actually against the Ozil signing, because it was going to disrupt his salary structure and he was loath to commit multi year contracts to players who would turn 30 during the contract, especially attacking players. Also I’d note that Wenger was losing power at the time, he was in his last 6 months at Arsenal and losing the power struggle with Gazidis. To me whole situation smells Like a Gazidis deal. They had just lost Sanchez in the winter window and losing Özil for nothing in the summer would probably have been a public relations nightmare.
NWM, further backed up by gazidis himself claiming credit at the time.
But make no mistake, AW was part of the deal, as Ozils agent has said.
The three men involved, in order of culpability (in my opinion) were gazidis, kronkie and Wenger.
I take this view, simply because gazidis had already hijacked some of Wenger’s transfer plans and kronkie had to be part of that scheme, as he had given gazidis the green light.
As for the statue and durham, the former has already been authorised and the latter is not worth wasting time on, such is his irrelevance to our club and it’s history.
The club decided to pay what the agent valued his player. Is there an issue with that? Its afree market economy… Willing seller willing buyer. Stop moarning. 360,000 is no big deal for aclub of Arsenal size besides this is someone’s business. He can pay whatever he wants.
That’s his opinion, I don’t think anyone should be move by it. A statue is a reward measured by many factors and decisions not just one.
Guys Statue for AW a big yes. AW transformed the entire English PSL football. Lets not get our emotions over his good work over the years. Ozil’s situation has no relation to other coaches failing to get results. Ozil isb1 player and can be excluded from 1st team like what Arteta was doing lately and still get results. Ozil, on my view, is still one of the great midfielders in the game… motivate.. inspire the guy to perfom… thats the coach’s job